Nano Server Rumors

A leaked slide deck from earlier this year indicates that soon, a stripped-down version of Windows dubbed “Nano Server” could be the new base for Windows Server. News of the leaked slides comes from Neowin.

Possibly as soon as next month, we’ll know for sure what Microsoft has planned. But for now, it seems that Nano Server will emphasize a minimal basic installation for a few reasons. First, it will consume fewer hardware resources. Second, it will require fewer updates for applications you’re not actually using. Third, it will be more secure by providing fewer attack vectors.

Other technical details will be familiar to cloud server sysadmins. Nano Server administration will come from a shell, not a graphical interface. No binaries will be included in the image; they’ll all be installed like applications. The OS will support containers and clustering, the up-and-coming standard model for server architecture.

Stay tuned to see what Microsoft confirms for the future of their server OS!